by Kylie PerrottiPosted on April 25, 2021May 6, 2022
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Brothy beans with radicchio are a must-have in your white beans recipe library. This radicchio recipe is easy to prepare and so delicious!
Radicchio is a beautiful bitter vegetable that pairs perfectly with herby, creamy beans. Although it may look like cabbage, radicchio is part of the chicory family, along with escarole and curly endives. These vegetables are related to lettuces but are pretty bitter. This bitter flavor can mellow if it is sautéed or grilled.
In this radicchio and white beans recipe, bitter radicchio gets a little massage first and marinates with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. I enjoyed the bitter flavor paired with the beans. If you’re averse to bitter tastes, you may want to roast the radicchio leaves instead. If you don’t love bitter vegetables, look at my substitution suggestions below!
How to Make Brothy White Beans with Radicchio
This recipe is so easy to prepare.
First, prepare the radicchio. Cut the bottom stump from the radicchio and peel off each leaf individually. Place the leaves in the bowl with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and zest, and salt, and use your hands to massage the leaves for a minute or two gently. You will feel the leaves tenderize slightly. Set aside at room temperature to marinate for 30 minutes.
Next, just cook the beans. Prepare the beans with a bit of oil, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, and stock. Add the beans and let them simmer for 30 minutes. Finishing the dish is as simple as adding some fresh herbs and more lemon juice and zest. That’s it! Once the herbs are bright green, turn off the heat and serve the beans with the marinated radicchio.
If you’re not a fan of radicchio or if you just can’t find it, try these substitutions:
Chopped kale, lacinato or curly
Escarole
Shaved brussels sprouts
Shredded green or purple cabbage
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Brothy Beans with Radicchio
Brothy beans with radicchio are a must-have in your white beans recipe library. This radicchio recipe is easy to prepare and so delicious!
In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, zest, and extra virgin olive oil. Add the radicchio and use your hands to massage the marinade into the leaves. Season with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
Start the beans:
Heat olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until it is completely softened and beginning to brown.
Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add it to the onion along with the crushed red pepper and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.
Simmer the beans:
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the beans. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until broth is reduced and thickened slightly. Note: you can add butter (plant-based or dairy) or tahini to help thicken the broth. Season the broth with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, place the dill and parsley in the food processor and pulse until minced.
Finish the beans:
Stir in the lemon juice, zest, dill, and parsley and season the broth again to taste. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the herbs are bright green. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
Arrange a few leaves of marinated radicchio on a shallow bowl and ladle the beans on top. Enjoy!
Unlike Navy Beans, Great Northern beans retain their shape when they're cooked, making them an excellent candidate for white bean soups and stews or — my own personal favorite – Vegan Cassoulet. Great Northern Beans have a mild, nutty flavor.
How to prepare cannellini beans. Canned beans just need to be drained and rinsed, then they're ready to use. For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 hours (they'll expand, so make sure your bowl is big).
If you're using unsoaked beans, rinse them in a fine mesh strainer before you add them to the pot. Bring the water to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, discarding any foam that rises to the surface. Add seasonings & continue cooking.
Cannellini beans are the largest of the group and because of their traditional kidney shape, they can also be referred to as White Kidney Beans. Meatier than Navy or Great Northern beans, they have a nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh, and are often used in Italian dishes like Minestrone.
All beans are rich in fiber, but the top-ranking variety is the navy bean, allegedly named for its popularity in the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century. These pea-sized, cream-colored beans provide 10 grams of fiber per half-cup serving.
Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.
Fun Fact: Discarding the soaking water and rinsing beans can help make cooked beans more digestible. Some people choose to save the soaking liquid because some nutrients are leeched from the beans into the liquid during soaking. We prefer to drain our soaking liquid but you can decide what works best for you.
According to The Bean Institute, you can reduce up to 41 percent of the sodium in canned beans by rinsing them. "It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states.
If you don't have time to presoak, don't sweat it– your beans will still be tender and delicious. However, there is one exception: if you're starting with old beans that have suffered moisture loss (Primary Beans defines as beans older than 2 years from harvest), a presoak may help you achieve evenly cooked beans.
If you've ever cooked beans for hours without them softening, it's probably because you're using old beans, or you've got hard (mineral-rich) water, or there's an acidic ingredient in the pot, which can slow down cooking. Using distilled water solves the hard water problem.
Brine your beans while soaking them by adding a tablespoon or two of salt to the soaking liquid, a trick from Cool Beans author and bean guru Joe Yonan. It effectively brines the beans, making them both tastier and more evenly cooked as it helps to soften the beans' skins, improving the final texture.
Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.
In a separate bowl, dissolve a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or all-purpose flour in a small amount of cold water.Add the slurry to the bubbling soup. The soup should thicken up. Add more cornstarch or flour as needed until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.
White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc. These are the most popular types of white beans (cooked white beans), however each type has its own unique peculiarities and features.
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